If you are going over the location of the ship that is carrying your beloved BMW, let me offer you the benefit of my pre-occupation with tracking my E92.

There are two ways that your ship can be tracked on its voyage. When it is close to shore, the AIS (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/enav/ais/default.htm ) is in use. This an automatic system and is limited to only ships within radio range. When your ship is out in open water, you need to rely on WMO-VOS (http://vos.noaa.gov/vos_scheme.shtml). The problem with this system is that it is a voluntary one and not all ships participate.

Once you have determined the name of your ship there are various websites that offer you the ability to track your vessel. These sites are free and some only require you to register to get the most current updated information.

While your ship is in the North Sea, which includes the ports of Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, etc., vesseltracker.com (http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Home.html) provides up to a 2 hour delay of your ships position. This is an AIS based website. Free registration is required for this feature.
There is another AIS website, http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/ and it does not require registration.

After your ship leaves the North Sea on her way to the Atlantic Ocean, she passes through the English Channel. You can track her movements at http://www.ais-live.co.uk/ which is another AIS based website. This site is free, information is real-time and does not require registration.

Once through the English Channel, your ship begins her trans-Atlantic crossing. To continue tracking, you must cross your fingers and hope that your ship is one that voluntarily participates in the WMO-VOS program. If she participates, you can track her progress at http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/index.html. If you enter the ships name and can not pull up any reports, try entering her call sign.
This is a free site, information is usually updated 2 hours after a ship reports their position and registration is not required.
If your ship does not participate, figure that it takes 6-7 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean until you can resume tracking with the following website.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/ is a global AIS tracking service that provides real-time information. It can be used for ports all over the world. But remember, being an AIS service, your ship needs to be in range of shore to acknowledge it's position.

Enjoy tracking your new baby and if you need any assistance, just let me know.

Thanks for all of your work on the tracking post. Does the AISLive global 2-week trial only work when the ship is near a port? I don't want to register too early, but would like to catch it as it goes through the Panama Canal. (maybe I can get lucky and get a pic on the web-cam)

AIS is only effective within VHF radio range which is somewhere between 30-50 miles of shore. While the ships are in open water, sailwx would be the way to track them as long as they voluntarily report their position.

My ship seems to have given up on reporting - I think the captain knows we're watching and is just playing with us: "Let's give 'em a good tracking history right through the middle of the Atlantic, and then just stop reporting somewhere around the Bermuda Triangle! "
I'll just have to be patient. But thanks again for all of your help.

My ship seems to have given up on reporting - I think the captain knows we're watching and is just playing with us: "Let's give 'em a good tracking history right through the middle of the Atlantic, and then just stop reporting somewhere around the Bermuda Triangle! "
I'll just have to be patient. But thanks again for all of your help.

I know exactly what that is like. I was tracking the Figaro last month and it stopped reporting at Puerto Rico and never reported again until it was docked at Port Hueneme. WW's website showed it through the Panama Canal, so I had SOME idea where it was, but I lost the nice graphical reports. So you may not get another report. Keep an eye on the port schedule and the shipping company's status page. That was all I had after mine stopped sending position reports (well, position reports that sailwx.info could get, that is...)

Anyone with AIS live subscription?
If you do have it, please have a look at the TOLEDO, it should be close to NY/NJ and let us know, post the reply on the TOLEDO thread
All of us TOLEDO bound to the US will be eternally grateful (at least until we get our cars then we will forget all about you)
thanks
mags

Does the numbers in the production # mean the lower it is, the car will be in production earlier. I have seen people with numbers that are much higher and they ordered their car about 3 weeks earlier than i did...I just placed my order 4-13. Please help me understand, this is the first time i ever ordered a car!

The production #'s that you see posted, have no relevance as to when the cars will be produced. If you have a production #, call the 800 # and they will be able to tell you what week you are scheduled for production, if your CA hasn't.

Earlier in this post I mentioned another AIS based website. http://www.aislive.com/AISLIVEPORTAL...ndex=0&tabid=1 It is a global AIS tracking service that provides real-time information. It can be used for ports all over the world. The reason why you should not use it from the time your ship leaves Bremerhaven is that you need to register for a free trial which gives you only 2 weeks access to the subscriber area. This is iimportant for those whose ships are going to ports not offered to the non-registered user or their voyage is longer than 14 days.

Steve

Steve, I signed up for a free trial to this website, but I haven't heard back from them. How long did it take you to get your free trial membership?

Steve, I signed up for a free trial to this website, but I haven't heard back from them. How long did it take you to get your free trial membership?

I just checked my records and would have to say definitely not more than 4 days. Most things we sign up for on the internet, we get immediate confirmation/notification, but this was delayed. It was at least a day, possibly 2. Make sure you completely fill in the information they are requesting for the trial. They do require a company name and other info about the organization. I just made something up, like SeaShips Intl...